Bradford sees loss for Nats

Press, 1 April 1989, Page 1

Bradford sees loss for Nats

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

Complacency and internal feuding could cost National the 1990 election victory seemingly within its grasp, according to its former secretary-general, Mr Max Bradford.

In the first public statement since his forced resignation three weeks ago, Mr Bradford said the position National was getting itself into was sad and disappointing.

“A few months ago it had everything going for it and I don’t understand the motives of those who are jeopardising this prospect,” he said. Mr Bradford will leave New Zealand in a few days to discuss consultancy opportunities with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. “I plan to be based here and I have no plans to desert New Zealand,” he said. “I want to let the dust settle before I consider any future involvement with National, although I have had approaches from a few electorates.”

He also planned to pursue defamation proceedings against some of those who had been involved in his downfall. But Mr Bradford does not see himself as a National Party scapegoat. “I was only the first act of a bigger drama,” he said. “I can’t completely dissociate what happened to me from the events of the Ruth Richardson-

Winston Peters row that immediately followed.”

There was little doubt that factions in the party had leaked rumours about the Hannibal computer programme and software systems, with which he had been associated, as part of a deliberate strategy. “I was a lightning rod for that, which meant I couldn’t perform my job and had to go,” Mr Bradford said. The Hannibal and software decisions, the party’s new logo and the affinity-card decisions had been made by the elected officers on the national executive committee but Mr Bradford had ended up carrying the blame.

"But there was more than one target than just me and you only need to look at what is happening to Jim Bolger to see that,” he said.

National should now take a hard look at how it handled its senior staff. He was the second successive top executive to carry the can for the elected leadership by being embroiled in the party’s internal politics and other people’s leadership aspirations. As a result, National had some way to go before it could be ready to fight the 1990 election.

Decisions had still to be taken on a decent funding base, on understanding the key seats and how to target them, and on the resources needed, he said. Time was running out for these decisions because the last few months had been given over to feuding instead.

Mr Bradford said there was a danger in some of the party’s divisions and electorates that people were so complacant about Labour losing by default in 1990 that some people thought they could do anything and it would not matter.

In the job he had found it difficult to get the leadership behind him to implement the decisions and get the commitment on the ground that was needed.

“There is a need for people in the National Party to work to resolve problems as they come along, rather than reject everything because problems arise — a need to stop throwing the baby out with the bath water,” Mr Bradford said.

This was particularly true of computer aids to fundraising. Voluntary canvassing on the ground was still absolutely essential.